DHL expands French express network with new Lille sorting centre
DHL Express France has opened a new centre for sorting, distribution and customs clearance in Lille-Fretin, northern France, to strengthen its air express network in the country.
The new state-of-the-art EUR 1 million facility is part of the company’s large-scale investment in its European network now interconnected through its international hub at Leipzig/Halle, Germany, DHL France said.
Three months of construction work were needed to put the sorting centre into operation including its sorting chain and the air freight security system. The 2,700 sqm facility has sorting capacity of up to 600 parcels an hour. In total, there are about 1,900 import and 1,500 export shipments handled daily at Fretin by 60 employees working at the site. DHL Express employs a total of 73 people in the area, including staff at the two depots at Calais and Amiens.
Security is ensured by X-ray tunnels to control the outbound shipments immediately and on-site. This equipment is in line with the air cargo security regulations of the French civil aviation authority DGAC.
DHL Express France has opened a new centre for sorting, distribution and customs clearance in Lille-Fretin, northern France, to strengthen its air express network in the country.
The new state-of-the-art EUR 1 million facility is part of the company’s large-scale investment in its European network now interconnected through its international hub at Leipzig/Halle, Germany, DHL France said.
The sorting centre in Lille is very important for the international trade flows of the Northern France region as it covers three departments (Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Somme) and is connected to two parcel depots situated at Calais and Amiens.
Three months of construction work were needed to put the sorting centre into operation including its sorting chain and the air freight security system. The 2,700 sqm facility has sorting capacity of up to 600 parcels an hour. In total, there are about 1,900 import and 1,500 export shipments handled daily at Fretin by 60 employees working at the site. DHL Express employs a total of 73 people in the area, including staff at the two depots at Calais and Amiens.
Security is ensured by X-ray tunnels to control the outbound shipments immediately and on-site. This equipment is in line with the air cargo security regulations of the French civil aviation authority DGAC.
Florence Noblot, DHL International Express France managing director, said: “This major investment in our air infrastructure underlines the importance of France as a key link in the European network of DHL Express. This new ultramodern facility in Lille-Fretin will allow us to continue providing the best service, the best quality and proximity possible to our customers.”
This year, DHL Express has invested more than EUR 15 million in new sites in France with the sorting centres at Villeneuve-la-Garenne on the northern outskirts of Paris and at Vitry, south of Paris, along with new branches in Lille and Metz. The new sorting centre in Lille, where the company has been represented for 25 years, is the most important facility in the north of the country, DHL France added.
